The Voices In My Head
by JustMe133
Summary: AU! 16-year old Ethan has lived a relatively sheltered life. He goes to a private school per his mom's request, has an after school job, and then goes straight back home. He never strays from the path his parents have laid out of him. Until one day… Rated T to be safe. Could be BETHAN.
1. Chapter 1

**So this was just a weird idea I had. I hope ya'll like it and if not… well then it just goes away, doesn't it?**

**NO, I don't own this; ya'll know that by now right?**

…

The voices started one day when he was home sick from school with a migraine. His mother didn't approve, but when she had gone to open his bedroom curtains to let some sunlight into her son's room and he broke out in tears of pain, she decided to let him stay home.

He laid there and nodded vaguely as she told him how to spend his day.

"Now, you'll stay in bed until about 10:30. Then you need to get up, shower – because no matter how "sick" you are you are no stinking up my house young man – and then make sure to eat some lunch. I'll be calling at about… 11:30 to make sure you've done what I've said."

"Yes mom."

"Good," she said, kissing his forehead and catching the wince he made when that happened. "Feel better dear."

"Yes mom." She nodded at his words and left the room, calling for his little sister so they could leave. Ethan just stared at his bedroom door for a minute before he closed his eyes and buried his head in his pillow.

"_Bossy woman isn't she?"_ Ethan's eyes snapped open when those words were spoken. He sat up slowly, surveying his room.

There wasn't anyone there. Had he imagined it? The voice – or more like voices, because it had sounded too thick to be just one – definitely hadn't been his own.

Was the migraine making him delusional?

"_Not delusional. Just a little more… open-minded._"

What was going on? Ethan rolled over and closed his eyes, hoping the darkness would ease his headache and make the voice stop. He only had two more hours of rest before he had to get up.

"_Do you have to do everything she says?"_

"_**Whatever you are, shut up."**_

"_I won't be silenced so easily. But nice try."_

All Ethan could do was will himself to sleep, trying to ignore the intense pain and the voice…

Surely he was cracking up. There was no way he could hear voices in his head, right?

…

Once he was awake, he showered and ate his lunch, just like he was supposed to. He talked to his mom when she called, called work to tell them he wouldn't be in, and was even done with his homework.

What could he do now?

"_Do something wild. Why don't you run through your house naked, or go do something fun?! Do you do any fun stuff kid?"_

He hit his head against the couch; why was he hearing things now? His headache was gone, and he was of sound mind, wasn't he?

"_Oh you're completely sane kid. I'm just here."_

"Where's here… and who are you?" He couldn't believe he was actually trying to talk back to the voice.

"_I'm a friend… and I'm here. With you."_

"But why?"

"_You wouldn't understand."_

"Try me."

"_You're in a rut kid. You do everything your mom says, without batting an eye. Are you even happy with your life?"_

"Of course I am."

"_Are you sure?"_

"Who are you and why am I even talking to you?! I must be crazy."

"_Not crazy. Just… talented. Your migraine opened up a way for us to talk."_

"So you're saying you're real?"

"_As real as you are Ethan."_

"How do you know my name?"

"_I'm here to help you Ethan. Don't fight me. It'll only make my presence worse. If you welcome me into your mind, then there won't be any problems."_

"I don't need help."

"_Yeah you do."_

…

The night went much like the day. Ethan bantered with the voice in his head – it had cleared, he could tell it was only one voice now – and he was glad he got it to stop so he could sleep.

But it was there when he woke up the next morning.

"_Geez, is she always like this?"_ It had asked when his mom had barged in and woke him up, giving him his daily lecture on how his day would be going. _"Don't you live your own life?"_

"Apparently not since I can hear a dude's voice in my head."

"_Hey, I'm trying to help you."_

"Why? What's in it for you?"

"… _That's complicated Ethan. Just know that I am here for a reason. You'll see."_

"What's that mean?"

"_Just don't worry about it. You'll find out when the time is right. For now, you need my help."_

"No I don't."

"_Whatever. You really do. I mean, do you even like private school? Or that cheesy job you've got because of her? Are you happy with this life?"_

"That's none of your business. Now, get out of my head!"

"_I can't. Don't you see? Not until I help you, and you help me."_

"What are you talking about? Help you?"

"_That's for another time Ethan. You're going to be late for school."_

He felt the voice leave – if that was even possible – but he knew it would be back. With a groan, he got ready for school.

…

Luckily, his school wasn't too picky about clothing options; he was able to wear a plain shirt and nice pants and it would be good enough for them.

He was walking to his locker when he was bumped into a taller person.

"Sorry about that," a vaguely familiar voice said. He met hazel green eyes and then the voice was back, yelling at him.

"_YOU'RE NOT READY FOR THIS ETHAN. BACK AWAY. NOW!"  
_

…

**So that happened… I have a couple scenarios in mind that this could go with…**

**Guess we'll just have to wait and see what happens, won't we?**

**Thanks for reading &amp; reviews are love!**

**-JustMe133**


	2. Chapter 2

**Ya'll seemed to like this one so far… lets see how this chapter goes over.**

**Updated: 2/4/2015**

…

Ethan took a step back from the guy, surveying him while the voice egged him on to get away.

"_Seriously Ethan. Listen to me. Back up."_

"_**Back up? Why? What's going on?"**_

"_I… can't explain right now. But please, listen to me."_

"… _**Whatever.**_**"**

Ethan stopped the internal argument – which he was really beginning to wonder if it was just something wrong with his brain – and looked at the guy, who was just staring at him.

"Um, sorry for bumping into you," Ethan said, taking another step back. The guy only grinned and shrugged, looking way too smug for Ethan's liking.

"Not your fault. I was on my phone… It was nice bumping into you though. Bye." With that said, he walked past Ethan and into the classroom Ethan would soon be entering himself.

"What was that about? And since when is he my class? I've never seen him before…"

"_None of that is our concern right now Ethan. Just go to your locker and get your stuff."_

"_**But-"**_

"_You just need to trust me on this. Drop it."_

"_**Why should I listen to you? You're the one who is in **__**my**__** head. You should be listening to me."**_

"_I'm just trying to help."_

"_**Well go away. I have to go to class."**_

"_Fine, but I mean it. Stay away from that guy."_

"_**Why should I?"**_

The voice didn't respond, and once again Ethan really wondered if he was going crazy or not.

…

When he was sitting in class – trying to not look at the guy who had creeped him out earlier – his eyes betrayed him and wandered over to stare at the figure who was slumped too casually for their private school standards.

He was tall, Ethan knew that right away from bumping into him, but he didn't realize how _much_ taller – or were his legs just overly long? That must be it, because suddenly Ethan didn't seem to be looking at a teenager like himself but a man.

A very dangerous looking man…

What was going on with his vision?

Ethan blinked a couple of times and he found himself once again looking at a normal teenage guy.

What had just happened? He took a deep breath and scribbled down some notes from the teacher before he looked at him again.

The first thing he noticed was that his hair was messy – Ethan wondered how the he got away with that when the school cared about physical attributes so much – but then he noticed what he was _wearing_.

Who on Earth would wear a leather jacket to a private school?! He wore baggy jeans – why would you do that too? And… could Ethan see a hint of a polo shirt under the jacket?

Who was this guy?

"_That doesn't concern you Ethan. Stop looking at him and go back to your work."_

"_**I thought I told you to go away."**_

The voice was gone again.

But Ethan did find himself wanting to get as far away from the guy as possible.

When he looked back up, he was staring back at him now, eye sseming to peirce into him.

And Ethan felt himself shiver in a way he hadn't felt before yet felt so familiar to him that he shivered again.

And those eyes just stayed on him the whole time.

…

"_I thought you were going to keep them apart."_

"_I'm trying-"_

"_Trying isn't good enough! They __**cannot**__ be reunited, do you understand me?"_

"_Of course."_

"_Good. Do your job."_

…

Ethan felt his stomach flip as he saw the guy in almost all of his classes; where had he come from, and why was he here now? The school rarely allowed new students once the year started…

Unless he had been here before? No, Ethan was sure he'd have noticed him…

Why was he so sure about this though? He just found himself shaking his head and leaving the school as fast as possible. He had to go to work after all.

"_Don't go to work. Go have some fun."_

"No, I'm going to work."

"_Why? That's such a boring job."_

"I like working there."

"_Geez Ethan, why do you care about having a job? Go be a kid, go have some fun."_

"No thanks. Can't you go away again?"

"_Nope. You're just stuck with me."_

"Why? Why was I cursed with this plague?"

"_Don't you worry about that right now. I'm here whether you like it or not. And I will help you."_

"Help me with what?"

"_You will see. You need me."_

"Why would I need a hallucination in my head?"

The voice didn't answer, and for that, Ethan was glad.

…

Work went easily enough; not many customers today, so he was able to just stock new books and chill in the breakroom or at the register. Then, he went home and ignored the voice that would pop up every now and then in his mind.

His mom went about her usual questions: 'how was your day', 'did you do everything you were supposed to' and 'how was work'. But then, she dropped a new question on him.

"Did you meet any new people?" Ethan looked at her, surprised by this; she always asked the same questions, and was always easy going about it.

But now, she looked tense; her hands were clapsed tightly in front of her, her lips pursed…

"Um, not really… there's this new dude in school, or at least new to me; I haven't seen him before."

"Hmm," she said, eyeing him. "Well, there's no room for new people right now Ethan. You have school and work and then home for dinner and homework… No distractions."

"Of course mom. I'm gonna go finish my homework and then go shower."

"Okay. Night dear."

"Night."

"_**That was weird."**_

"_That it was. But she's right; you might be in a rut, but you don't need new people to mess up what I can help with."_

"_**What's that mean?"**_

"_No worries Ethan. I've got you covered on all of this. Just listen to me."_

"_**But-"**_

"_No buts. Just listen to me. I'm here to help."_

…

_**Ethan saw bright white lights dance in front of his eyes; he could feel the itch of stiff cloth under and around him, and the feeling of something holding him in place.**_

"_**Ethan! Ethan hold on! I promise we'll get through this! I won't forget about this! About us…"**_

"_**This is for the best Ethan… Don't you understand that? I'm doing this for you…"**_

"_**No! Let me go! Let me go…."**_

Ethan woke up with a jolt, the chill of sweat soaking his skin.

What was that?

…

**So this has already spiraled out of control, and its only the second chapter!**

**Well, thanks for reading and see ya'll next time.**

**-JustMe133**


	3. Chapter 3

**This story seems to be going over well.**

**Lets see if I can keep that up.**

**Updated: 2/17/2015**

…

"_Are you okay Ethan?_"

"Go away you stupid voice," Ethan muttered, trying to go back to sleep. He hadn't been successful in these attempts since the weird dream, but he was determined to go back to sleep at least a little bit before he had to get up for school.

"_As I said before, I'm here to help you. So what's up?"_

"Well considering you're in my head, why don't you tell me? What was that dream about?"

"_Dream?! What dream?!"_ The voice was panicked, and that woke Ethan up even more. He sat up and turned on his lamp, seeing that it was only midnight; he could get at least 6 more hours of sleep, but it didn't look like it now.

"It was just… weird. I was… it felt like I was held down, but I couldn't see anything except bright lights. I could hear voices though; they were distorted though. I couldn't tell who they were."

The voice let out what sounded like a relieved breath in his head before it spoke.

"_It was just a dream. Go to sleep Ethan."_

Suddenly, Ethan couldn't keep his eyes open. Almost mechanically, he turned off his lamp and was practically asleep before he even hit the pillow.

The last thought he had was that the voice must have done something to him to make him fall asleep so suddenly.

…

"_**Ethan!"**_

He jolted awake by the sound of his name, but there was no one in his room; even the voice that was plaguing him was silent. He could see just a hint of sunlight peeking through his window, so he decided to get up and get ready for the day. He knew his mom would like that he was being productive.

"_**Hold on Ethan! I'm here!"**_

"_**Get away from him!"**_

"_**No, Ethan!"**_

Ethan, who had been looking through his closet, fell to his knees at the outburst of words accompanied by the bright light and feeling of being restrained bombarded him, just like it had in his dream.

Except this time, it was much worse than the dream had been.

First off, he was _awake_. He had never had anything this vivid happen while he was awake, except when the voice started…

Was it doing this to him now?

"Ethan, are you okay?" He looked up and caught his mom looking at him; he hadn't heard he come in, but she was there, watching him, eyes wary.

He had never seen her look at him like that.

"Um, yeah," he said as she helped him up. She didn't seem to believe him as he sat down on his bed

"Maybe you should go to the doctor," she said, eyeing him. "It looked like you had a bad headache. You were clutching your head so hard…"

"No, I'm fine."

_Don't go to the doctor_.

It was just a whisper, a thought that was in his head before he could stop it. Was it the voice, or his own thoughts warning him?

"You should go to the doctor. Headaches aren't good for a young man your age," she said, her tone of voice clearly saying she wasn't to be argued with.

"No."

"Excuse me?"

"I don't need a doctor. I'm fine."

"Ethan-"

"I need to get ready for school. I can't be late." She stared at him, face scrunched before walking out of his room, making sure to leave his door open. He didn't bother to close it as he hurriedly got dressed and went to the bathroom to throw some water on his face.

"_You should go to the doctor,"_ the voice said, making him shake his head.

"No."

"_Why not?"_

"Because I don't need to." But even as he said the words, he could feel it – a compulsion inside of him, telling him that he just _had_ to go to the doctor.

_Don't go Ethan. You're stronger than this. Fight it._

"_You should go Ethan. The doctor can help."_

"NO! GET OUT OF MY HEAD AND LEAVE ME ALONE."

"Ethan?! Are you okay?" He had forgotten he was in the hall bathroom, and his mom would be listening.

"I'm fine. I need to go to school." With that said, he grabbed his bag and hurried out of his home, his head and heart both pounding the whole way.

…

'_What is happening to him?!"_

"_I-I don't know."_

"_Well stop it! He can't know about-"_

"_I understand. I will fix it."_

"_**Good**__. Before I find someone who can. And I'll make sure they fix you too."_

…

Ethan was standing by his locker, trying to catch his breath from hurrying to school, when he felt someone looking at him. Looking up, he found the guy staring at him.

"Can I help you?" he snapped, making the guy look smug before he came to stand next to him.

"Ethan, right?"

"_**Ethan! I'm here! I came back for you." **_Ethan had to blink before he could focus on the guy in front of him and push whatever was happening into the back of his mind.

"Yeah, and you are?" He witnessed, for only a brief millisecond, the guy's face fall before it turned smug again.

"That doesn't concern you, now, does it?"

"I guess now. What do you want?" he asked, slamming his locker closed, feeling his aggravation grow as the guy just stared at him some more. He licked his lips before he spoke, and Ethan's eyes immediately followed the action before he looked back into green eyes that seemed so familiar…

"Can I borrow your notes for Lit. Class?"

"What? Why?"

"Because I'm behind. You seem like a good note taker… when you're not distracted."

"I don't get distracted," he said, throwing his notebook at the guy. "I want that back by the end of the day."

"Okay. Oh, and," he said, for he was about to leave it seemed, but he leaned down to whisper in Ethan's ear, "don't listen to them." Ethan watched him as he let the smug mask fall away and look at Ethan with all his feelings out. "Thanks for the notes Ethan."

"No problem…" he said, watching as the guy walked away; Ethan's vision distorted once again and the guy didn't look like a normal teenager now; he looked dangerous, and Ethan felt fear course through him before he was looking at the retreating figure of the normal looking teen once again.

"_You really do need to stay away from him."_

…

**Oooooh what's gonna happen now?!**

**[I have no idea, so I guess we're all in for a surprise!]**

**Thanks for reading!**

**-JustMe133**


	4. Chapter 4

**Sorry for the wait, things have been hectic (and I've been lazy: D)**

**Yay new chapter! Let's hope things go better for Ethan this time around, yes?**

**Updated: 3/10/2015**

…

Ethan was about to leave to go to his after school job when a hand landed on his shoulder. With a startled yelp, he turned around and found the guy who borrowed his notes standing next to him.

"Hi. Did I scare you?"

"Of course not! Don't be ridiculous," Ethan said, taking his notebook from the guy's hands. The guy watched him for a quick second before he nodded.

"Good. You work at the bookstore don't you?"

"Yeah, so?"

"I was going to go there now. Can I walk with you?"

"I guess…" Ethan said, his vision once again distorting to show a menacing figure – his eyes were dark and his lips turned up in a snarl as he stared at him - instead of a teen boy. A quick series of blinks returned his vision back to normal.

"Let's go then short-stuff."

"I'm not short!"

…

As they walked – with enough distance between them that Ethan could breathe – he decided to make some conversation.

"You still haven't told me your name."

"I know."

"Well I'd like to know who you are." The guy seemed to chew on this, sucking in one side of his face in a weird yet thoughtful gesture before he drew out a breath.

"_Ethan why are you with this guy again?!"_

The guy mumbled something under his breath at the same time the voice spoke, so Ethan didn't hear him.

"I'm sorry, what did you say?"

"Nothing Ethan. Go to work. I have some books to look at." Ethan was surprised to see they had arrived; when had that happened?

He watched the guy walk into the store and was shocked to feel a feeling bubble up in him before he felt something like a pinch on his arm.

And the feeling was gone.

Shaking it off, he went to work, shaking the guy from his mind.

…

_**He watched him as he walked around the store, stocking things up and talking to customers; he was good at what he did. Behind a large stack of books, he could see him without being spotted. **_

_**This was how he watched him now; from a distance, where it was safer for them both.**_

_**But then, he looked at him and gave him a smile before his face fell and his eyes glazed over, all in a couple of seconds. Next thing he knew, he was gone again, back to work.**_

_**He had to be careful before they messed him up for good.**_

…

Ethan was so glad when work was done; he was about to clock out when he collapsed, vision going dark.

"_**Ethan, what did you do? Why couldn't you listen to me? I want what's best for you. Don't you get that?"**_

"_**No - I don't. I'm happy with -. Don't you get that? I will not let you tell me what to do anymore! I'm almost 17."**_

"_**I don't care! You are - and I will do whatever it takes to keep you on the path to happiness! Do not cross me young man! You will gravely regret it…"**_

"Ethan! Yo kid, wake up!" He felt a hand on his face, tapping his cheek. He opened his eyes to find his boss standing over him. "What the fuck happened to you?"

"I…I don't know…"

….

_The voice debated about whether or not telling the big boss about what happened with Ethan just now. They could, and get another chewing out, or just let this one sit and just pretend nothing happened…_

_Yeah, they liked that decision more; it had nothing to do with the kid._

_Not at all…_

…

Ethan went home and did his homework like usual; he answered his mom's usual questions, ate the usual dinner, and watched a hockey game with his dad. All seemed well until he got ready for bed. As he was putting on his pajama pants, he felt as if something shifted in his head as his eyes began blur.

He had to blink a couple of times, but no, it stayed that way; where there had been nothing in front of him now stood a fuzzy blurry figure that seemed to be looking at him.

"I'm losing my mind, aren't I?"

"_Of course not. Why would you think that?" _The voice responded as it usually did, but it seemed the figure was making the gestures.

"Because I see something…"

"_You see me?! Oh no…."_ The voice and figure vanished, and then all Ethan knew was that he had to go to sleep.

As he crawled into bed and closed his eyes, he wondered why he was so scared in the first place…

…

_No, the voice wouldn't tell them about this either. It was just a glitch. A simple fix. That's all it took._

_A simple fix, and Ethan would be good as new…_

…

Ethan woke up in the middle night, seeing someone standing in his room. Instead of screaming – which would be the natural reaction he was sure – he turned on his lamp to get a better look.

There was no one there.

"_**Ethan. Please."**_

"Who's there?" The usual voice didn't respond, and neither did the other one.

Ethan was sure he was going crazy.

_Be careful_.

That one had been his own – or at least he thought so.

Shaking off the weird feeling – he had them so often now – he went back to sleep.

…

The next day, the guy cornered Ethan at his locker again.

"You're right. You deserve my name."

"And?" Ethan asked, tired from dreams of pleading voices and green eyes watching him. He didn't even look up at the guy but for only a second, seeing him dressed once again in that leather jacket, hair even more ruffled than he thought it could be.

"My name is … Benjamin."

As Ethan looked at him, glad to finally have a name to place with the face of the guy who seemed to always want to be around him, a thought flittered through his brain, shaking him in a way that warmed him to the core.

Just a single word.

No, a name.

_Benny._

…

**Well there ya go.**

**Hope that will hold ya'll until I can get a new chapter up.**

**Thanks for reading,**

**-JustMe133**


	5. Chapter 5

**Boo-yah, new chapter. Sorry for the wait but here it is.**

**Enjoy.**

**Updated: ****4/7/2015**

…

"You don't go by Benny, do you?" Ethan was surprised to see fear cross the guy's face before he pushed Ethan against the lockers and brought his face close to his, his voice a deep, choked up whisper.

"Why would you ask that? How would you know that?!"

"Um… it just popped into my head. When you said Benjamin." The guy looked terrified, but didn't back away, and Ethan found himself enjoying the close contact a little too much.

"Ethan," he said, voice laced with longing and pain, "I wish I could explain. But the voice-"

"You hear it too?" Benjamin's eyes widened and he stepped back, his hands shaking. "Tell me what you know about it!"

"I can't! If I could I would. I miss you and there's not a damn thing I can do about it! Just being this close to you is enough to get us both put away for good!" Ethan blinked at him as his words processed; Benjamin just looked troubled as he realized what he said.

"You miss me? How… what?"

"I can't Ethan. I'm sorry. Just… try to remember." He watched the guy hurry away; instead of to class, he went out of the school, not looking back.

"BENNY!" The name escaped him in a pained cry, a sound he didn't even know he was capable of making.

"_Well, that was a mistake, wasn't it? I'm afraid I'm going to have to punish you for that one."_

Ethan collapsed in the hallway, a pained scream leaving his lips before he blacked out.

…

The first thing he noticed when he came around was that he was itchy; the next was a prickly feeling in his arm; then, a steady _beep beep beep_, a _drip drip drip_; the answer came to him in a whisper of a thought.

_Hospital. Doctors._

"_**Wake up Ethan**_."

He wanted to open his eyes, but they didn't seem to want to cooperate with his thoughts.

"Did you do this to him?" He knew that voice… why couldn't he place it?

"I couldn't get ahold of you – I took matters into my own hands." This was a different voice than the first, but Ethan also knew he recognized it.

"I don't care. You always call me first. This is _Ethan_ we're talking about. No harm is to come to him."

"Now, you have to understand, what we're putting this young man through could cause some very bad brain damage." A new voice, deep, rough – Ethan didn't know this one.

"You never said anything about that before!"

"Yes I did but you two were too busy bickering over the right way to treat this young man that you weren't listening."

"Will he be okay?"

"This time? Yes. But if you pull another stunt like this on him, I will return him to his original state. With or without your consent."

Ethan didn't know what was going on, but he had heard enough to scare him into opening his eyes.

Only his mom was there.

_Be careful_.

"Mom?" he croaked out, getting her attention.

"Oh Ethan thank goodness you're okay!"

"What…?"

"You collapsed at school darling. This is why you don't stray from your routine. Bad things can happen to you. You're too fragile for anything else; for _anyone_ else really."

"What do you mean?"

"Nothing dear. You rest up so we can go home and go back to normal." He felt something in him shift, and realized his mom must have pressed something to release a sedative into him. As his eyes struggled to remain open, he caught sight of someone outside his hospital door; he could just see his face in the window.

"Be…n…y…" he trailed off, eyes closing against his will. The last thing he heard was his mom shouting.

"SECURITY! THIS YOUNG MAN IS BOTHERING MY SON! GET HIM AWAY FROM US!"

"_**I'm sorry Ethan."**_

"_**For what?"**_

"_**Doing this to you. I never meant to hurt you. You know that."**_

"_**It's fine. I'll be okay."**_

"_**But at what cost?"**_

"_**What do you mean?"**_

"_**You'll see."**_

…

When Ethan awoke again, he was in his bed at home with a headache.

"Mom?"

No answer.

"Dad?"

Nothing.

"Jane?"

Still nothing.

"_Voice?"_

Nothing.

Ethan was completely, utterly alone.

Or so he thought. He heard a door close and then a thunk of footsteps come up the stairs. He tried to sit up but found it too much effort and just rested against his pillow, waiting.

"Benjamin?" he asked, watching the figure enter his room and come to stand by his bed, watching him. "How'd you get here?" He just raised an eyebrow and shrugged. "What are you doing here?"

"Came to check on you. Are you okay?"

"Of course I am. How'd you get into my house?"

"That's not important." He watched as Benjamin shrugged out of his jacket – that damn leather monstrosity that he always seemed to wear – and watched as his figure flickered and distorted only briefly before he was back to normal.

As he looked at him, all he could think was '_I should call him Benny, shouldn't I_?" it was a nagging feeling, deep in his body and mind.

"Benj-" He couldn't get the full name out. "Benny." The guy smiled and sat down next to him. "Where's my family?"

"Around. Don't worry Ethan, you're safe with me…. About as safe as you can be I guess." He watched as Benny raised a hand to cart it through Ethan's hair; he just leaned into the touch, not looking away from those green eyes that seemed to watch him so deeply.

"What do you m-"

"ETHAN!"

His eyes snapped open to find his mom staring at him, eyes burning into his.

"Mom?"

"WHO THE _HELL_ IS BENJAMIN?!"  
…

**OH CRAP.**

**That should turn out to be an interesting conversation…**

**I hope.**

**See ya'll next time and thanks for reading! Reviews are love!**

**-JustMe133**


	6. Chapter 6

**So this is **_**mainly**_** a flashback chapter. I hope ya'll like it. This is for **_**TheBestOfHope**_**;**** I hope I helped settle your curiosity just a bit.**

**Updated: 4/10/2015**

…

Ethan was 15 and in love.

Okay, that was a stupid way to feel at such a young age, but Ethan was smart enough to know what he felt.

But it was more than love. It was _friendship_ too. He had fallen in love, yes, but with his best friend of all people.

_Benny_.

They had known each other for years, and knew each other so well – favorite colors, favorite foods, favorite _anything_.

And what really got Ethan was that _Benny loved him too_. He didn't question it when Ethan told him how he felt – he just smiled and said 'of course you do, what's not to love?' and then he had slung an arm around Ethan's shoulders, holding him close to his side.

It had become a mutual type of thing – a grip of each other's hand, a hug here and there, and then, a kiss.

It really had just kind of _happened_.

Ethan was smart though – hell, he was almost a certified genius – and he knew as soon as he told his mom, who was as high strung as they came, there would be hell to pay.

He had no idea how right he was.

He was getting ready for bed one night – it had been a couple of months since they had gotten together, and Ethan was blissfully happy.

That raised a red-flag in his mom's eyes, and she was ready to talk to him about what was going on in his life.

"Ethan?" He looked up and stuffed his phone under his pillow as he saw his mom enter his room.

"Hey mom. What's up?"

"Is everything… okay? You've been… different the last couple of months."

"Well, about that," he said, walking into the hallway to go to the bathroom, his mom behind him. "I'm… seeing someone."

"You're 15," she said, stopping him in the hallway. He sighed and she just tried to smile. "Tell me about her at least."

"… It's not… a her," he said slowly, watching her eyes and feeling the hand on his arm tighten.

"Oh."

"It's Benny."

"Benny?" she whispered, staring at her son before shaking her head. "Ethan, no. You know better than this."

"Mom, I want to be with him. I practically have-"

"I said _no_, Ethan."

"Mom-"

"Ethan listen to me!" she said, grabbing both his arms and gripping him tightly. "You will not see that boy again. Do you understand me?"

"No." She looked like she wanted to yell at him, but instead she pushed him away from her in disgust. Instead of catching himself as most people would though, Ethan kept going.

Straight down the stairs.

His mom just stood there and watched him, face stoic and eyes tearing up as he laid, unmoving, at the bottom of the staircase.

…

They took him to the hospital of course, and they found that some brain damage had been done.

"There's a way to fix it of course – just a small incision behind the ear, a little bit of surgery – he'll be good as new. With an implant to help him recover of course." His mom had nodded, but still sighed.

"Is there going to be memory loss?"

"Oh no ma'am, the chances of that happening are less than 5 percent."

"Can it be done?"

"Well… possibly. But inducing amnesia, like you're suggesting, can be very dangerous to his well-being. I can restore him of course, but it would leave some very tough mental scars on his…psyche, so to speak."

"I see." She had left then, claiming to need some time to think on this, when she ran into Benny. "Get away from my son's room. You're not allowed to see him."

"Please."

"Fine. Go say your goodbyes then. Because when he gets out of here, you will never see him again. Or I'll have you arrested for stalking." She walked past him, letting him in to see him, one last time.

"I'm sorry Ethan," he whispered, running a hand through Ethan's hair, just the way he liked it.

"For what?" he mumbled, still out of it from the pain medicine.

"Doing this to you. I never meant to hurt you. You know that."

"It's fine. I'll be okay."

"But at what cost?"

"What do you mean?"

"You'll see."

…

His surgery was a success – the brain damage fixed, and a small implant to help him through recovery.

Ethan wouldn't remember a thing. His mom had made sure of that.

…

Benny had been so distraught, he had not looked when crossing the street and ended up almost colliding with a car – although he didn't, he still fell and hit his head. His grandma had sent him to the hospital, and he had needed the implant as well, but unlike his dear friend, he remembered _everything_.

…

Ethan's mom moved him to a new school, helped him a get a job, and took care of him so he would have the perfect life she wanted for him. Months had passed, with Ethan's birthday coming and going, and Ethan, although not exactly happy, was content he supposed.

But then, the voice started.

…

It took some wrangling, but Benny was able to get into the same school as Ethan, if only to see him for a moment or two – Ethan had no idea who he was, or why he was interested in him.

And although it broke Benny's heart, he knew it was for the best.

But he couldn't stay away.

"So tell me Ethan, who's Benjamin?"

"A guy I go to school with-"

"Right, you told me this before I think. Why did you just mutter his name?"

"He has my notebook. I won't be able to catch up on notes without it." She seemed pleased by this, and Ethan was glad that he could still lie.

What had just happened to him though? It had felt so real – like Benj- _Benny , _was in his room with him. And he had felt so comforted, so _loved_, in just that brief moment.

"_Did you do that, voice?"_

"_Nope. I don't know what that was. Better to just forget about it so you can get better."_

"_I guess…"_

His mom left him alone so she could go sign his discharge papers, and he closed his eyes, trying to recall something, anything, that would making sense to him.

Everything just felt so… jumbled.

"It'll come back to you." He opened his eyes to stare at a young doctor, younger than the one who had been working on him since he came in. His hair was a messy blonde, and his eyes were way too blue for Ethan's liking. He didn't look much older than himself in fact.

"Who are you?"

"I'm a friend… remember?"

…

**Friendly hint! If you want that last line to make sense – although I'm sure it does for some of ya'll – go re-read the first chapter :D If only for a bit…**

**Dun-dun-duuuuun.**

**See ya'll next time. I hope I answered some of your questions : )**

**-JustMe133**


	7. Chapter 7

**Ya'll should like this chapter I think. It'll be… interesting.**

**Updated: 4/29/2015**

…

Ethan couldn't speak, but his lips trembled with the effort.

"_Is this way better?"_

"It's… it's _you_."

"Yes, me. But you have nothing to fear from me Ethan." Ethan couldn't speak as he stared at the man, who just sighed. "Please, I wish to help you."

"You've been… messing with me for weeks. Why would I think you'd help me?"

"I've been trying to help you for weeks, not messing. I might not have been the best of help-"

"Making me feel like I was crazy isn't helping. Or distorting Benjamin like that-"

"I didn't do that." The doctor looked perplexed at Ethan's words and he sat up a bit, watching him.

"Who are you?"

"A friend. I will swear to you that I have only meant to help, not to disorient you or "distort" anything."

"Who's Benjamin? Who is he, to me?" The doctor smiled and reached into his jacket, pulling out a phone that looked suspiciously like Ethan's.

"This," he said, holding up the phone, "_was_ your phone."

"What?"

"Your mom replaced your phone after your accident-"

"What accident?!" The doctor looked surprised but nodded.

"Right. Memory loss. Feel behind your ear." Ethan did what he said – he had no idea why, except that he wanted to know what the hell was going on – and felt his ear; there was a bump, like a scar almost, there; he had never noticed it.

"What is that?"

"Months ago, you were in an… accident of sorts. That bump you feel is where your surgery was to fix the damage that had been done. Your mother, in an attempt to "fix" you, had an implant put into you as well. That is what she's been using to control your actions, to make you act the way she needed you to act. I was able to hack in, but I obviously wasn't the only one. I just wanted to help."

"Who are you?"

"That doesn't concern you right now Ethan. You want answers about Benjamin, not me. This," he said, tossing the phone to Ethan, "will help you begin to understand. She can't see you with two phones. Be careful Ethan. I will be back soon."

Ethan watched the guy – he began to wonder if he really was a doctor – leave in a hurry before he looked at the phone in his hands. It was just like the one he had, but what if the guy had been telling the truth?

One way to find out, he supposed. With a deep breath, he turned the phone on.

The first thing he noticed was the apps – they were in all the same places as his phone, the same order… And then he focused on the background.

It was him and Benjamin – no, Benny – and Benny was licking his cheek, while his face was scrunched up in an amused – or maybe annoyed – smile.

Ethan didn't think he could breathe, but he kept looking. He went to the photo album and began to swipe through the photos.

Almost all of them were of himself and Benny.

He had never looked so … _happy_.

Benny wasn't just a friend though – no, Ethan could tell that much; he didn't need to see some of these quite yet.

He got out of the photos and went to the messages, his heart seeming to swell when he saw how many he had from Benny. There were others too, from names he didn't recognize, but he just wanted to look at the ones that could answer so many questions for him. Silently, he began to read.

"_I'm telling her tonight."_

"_Are you sure that's a good idea?"_

"_I want her to know."_

"_I know. I'm just worried she'll freak."_

"_Oh she will. My mom is crazy, but she'll be okay."_

"_U sure?"_

"_Yep. She wants me happy."_

"_I hope so."_

"_Love u."_

"_Love u too. Good luck."_

Ethan stared at the screen, the black words blurring his vision as he stared at the phone.

He was going to tell his mom…. That him and this… _Benny_, were what, dating? Was that even a possibility?

Ethan felt his head began to pound with a headache, so he stuffed the phone under his pillow right before the screaming began.

With tearing eyes, he curled up and wished the pain away.

And also wished that Benny was there, for whatever reason.

…

_**Ethan watched as Benny was attempting to skateboard at the local park – he had fallen on his butt more times than Ethan could count, and that made him laugh every time. **_

_**He began to suspect that Benny was doing it just to make him laugh, if the wink the taller boy sent his way before he flipped and landed with a wince of pain was any indication.**_

"_**You're turn," Benny said, getting up and stretching.**_

"_**I can't skateboard, you know that."**_

"_**Well, no time to learn like the present," Benny said, grabbing Ethan's hand and helping him to balance on the board. As soon as he let go, Ethan wobbled and fell over, grimacing at Benny, who was laughing at him. "Come on, let's try again." Ethan nodded and let his hand be enveloped in Benny's, ignoring the warm feeling it filled him with.**_

…

_**Ethan was listening to his teacher, trying to take notes, when a balled up paper hit him in the head. He turned to look at Benny, who was smiling at him and pointed at the ball of paper. Ethan groaned quietly and opened it, looking at the scrawled writing of his friend. He sent a reply back – a not very friendly one because he needed this information for a test – and lobbed it at Benny's head.**_

_**The teacher didn't notice a thing as Benny began to cough in laughter.**_

…

"_**Benny, this is silly."**_

"_**It's supposed to be romantic, so shut the fuck up for once okay?"**_

"_**Oh yeah, that's romantic. Keep talking to your boyfriend like that, see what happens."**_

"_**Would you be quiet?! I'm trying to create a moment here!" Ethan just rolled his eyes and let Benny drag him around until they were on the roof of his house. Benny had them lie down so they could look at the stars, a meteor shower just beginning.**_

"_**I hate you."**_

"_**Why do you say that?"**_

"_**Because you do corny shit like this that makes me fall in love with you even more?"**_

"_**You love me?" Benny asked, sitting up to look at Ethan, who grinned.**_

"_**I do."**_

"_**I love you too."**_

"_**I know. I'm awesome."**_

"_**Okay, we can't spend any more time together. You're beginning to sound like me."**_

_**They shared a laugh and then held hands as they watched the stars fall.**_

…

Ethan's eyes flew open with a wheeze of breath, ignoring the doctors around him and the worried look his mom was giving him.

Those had been his memories – not fake ones, not distortions- but _real, live memories._

Of him and Benny.

He had to see him.

He had to understand.

…

**Bum-bum-buuuuuuum.**

**So, there's that! I hope ya'll liked it as much as I liked writing it!**

**See ya'll next time and thanks for reading.**

**-JustMe133**


	8. Chapter 8

**There's gonna be some development in this chapter! Woo!**

**Enjoy!**

**Updated: 5/2/2015**

…

Ethan's mom took him home that evening once he was dubbed fit enough to travel. She put him straight to bed, brought him dinner, and made sure he was okay before she herself went to sleep.

But Ethan couldn't sleep. His mind had been running rampant with thoughts of Benny, and maybe even some more memories.

_**A brief grasp of each other's hands in the middle of a crowded hallway.**_

_**Playing video games and when one would beat the other, a fight broke out before one would give up and kiss the other, declaring them the winner.**_

_**Going to the movies and having too much fun when they were the only two there.**_

_**At the parks, swinging like little kids when Benny stopped them and asked Ethan to be his boyfriend, officially.**_

Ethan couldn't have made that stuff up even if he wanted to. So, once he was sure his mom was asleep, he pulled out the phone he had snuck out of the hospital – in his sock of all places – and looked at the number before he sent out a message, nervously waiting its reply.

…

Benny was trying to do homework – and not think about Ethan – when his phone buzzed with a message.

"_Are you still awake?"_

Ethan. Ethan had texted him! Did he…

Did he remember who he was?

…

"_I am. Do you know who I am?"_

…

"_I'm trying to understand. Meet me the park?"_

…

"_By the swings?"_

…

"_How'd you know?"_

…

"_Lucky guess. See you soon."_

Ethan read that and found himself sneaking out of the house, his old phone and new phone with him.

Just in case.

…

Benny got there first, pacing by the swings with anticipation and fear.

What if it wasn't Ethan, but his mom ambushing him and calling the cops?

No, it was Ethan that was striding towards him, a look of fear and determination on his face.

"Benj… Benny."

"Ethan."

"Do you know what happened to me?" Benny nodded and they went to sit on the swings, moving gently as they looked at each other.

"You fell down the stairs at your house. It caused some… damage. You had to have surgery. When you woke up… you didn't know who I was."

Ethan could feel this wasn't the whole truth.

"Did my mom make me forget about you?"

"I think so. I could never find the proof. I just knew you had an implant, and then you were… not exactly differently, but definitely not yourself. Do you remember anything?" Benny tried to stamp down the hope in his voice, but Ethan heard it and gave him a soft smile.

"I was given this today," he said, holding up his old phone. "It's filled with pictures of me and you, texts... I don't remember any of it. _But_… I want to. I want to remember. I want to know the truth." Benny stood up and pulled Ethan up with him, surprising him at how right their hands felt together. "I have begun to remember somethings," he said slowly as Benny watched him, waiting. "Things about…us. We were… weren't we?"

"Yeah. You don't remember anything about me?"

"Not much. Why don't you tell me?"

"We were best friends for _YEARS_ before anything happened between us. We had friends, good friends, who supported us. I got on great with your family… when we were friends."

"Ah."

"You're mom has always been a little…"

"Uptight. I know that much." Benny laughed and tugged Ethan a little closer, making his chest tighten a bit at how much he found himself enjoying it. He noticed Benny wearing that leather jacket again, and a brief flash of a picture passed before his eyes.. "I… I got this for you!"

"You remember that? Just now?" Ethan nodded, one hand leaving Benny's to trail over the cool leather. "Ethan." Ethan looked up to see Benny's green eyes staring at him; whenever he looked at him for this long, he would begin to distort, become dangerous.

But nothing happened this time.

"I miss you."

"I know," is all Ethan could say before Benny leaned down, softly pressing his lips to Ethan's.

Ethan's world collapsed around him. Now he got what all those sappy romance movies his mom and sister watched were all about.

_This_.

He knew this feeling.

It was like riding a bike – you might forget if you don't do it for a while, but once you do it…

_You remember._

You remember how to perfectly place your hands so you can hold on just right, how to balance to keep from falling off and hurting yourself…

This was the same thing.

Ethan knew if he braced one hand on Benny's shoulder, fingers splayed wide to grip onto the leather of his jacket, and the other hand moves up to tug on Benny's hair and elicit a moan that he _knows_ he's heard before and wants to hear again.

Benny's hands fist in the back of Ethan's shirt, pulling him closer to deepen the kiss.

He had missed this; it had been too long since he held the slighter teen in his arms, and it was better than he remembered.

But Ethan didn't remember – and sure, that hurt – but he would help him remember.

He wasn't going to lose him again.

Ethan pulled away to lean against him; Benny held onto him, nose buried in Ethan's hair, smelling the same shampoo he had always smelled like.

It was almost like nothing had changed.

Almost.

"Ethan," Benny asks, tilting his face up so he can stare into the brown eyes he missed so much. "Will you be my boyfriend… again?" Ethan laughs, because he remembered how Benny had asked him out originally and he knows, after that kiss, that he has to be with him.

"Yes."

He grins and kisses him again.

Ethan doesn't notice that, for the first time in weeks, the voice is gone.

…

**Awww, yay.**

**Of course, this could end badly… or they could live happily ever after.**

**Guess we'll wait and see, won't we?**

**Thanks for reading and see ya'll soon!**

**-JustMe133**


	9. Chapter 9

**Wooo new chapter.**

**Please don't hate it.**

**Updated: 5/12/2015**

…

Ethan was able to sneak back into his house without his mom noticing.

He felt blissfully happy with Benny back in his life, even if he still didn't fully know why.

'_Did you enjoy your date Ethan?'_

"It wasn't a date," he murmured softly, not even questioning the voice – he easily recognized it as the man who had given him back his phone. "Who are you?"

'_A friend. Haven't I said that before?'_

"What do you know about me and Benny?"

'_Enough. Meet me for lunch tomorrow. Bring Benny.'_

"Do I finally get my answers?"

'_I'll tell you what I can.'_

…

The next day, after setting up a message for Benny to meet him at the park again, Ethan told his mom, who was eating brunch with his dad, that he had gotten called into a meeting for work – which happened to be closed today, so this _was_ the day they usually had meetings – and they had just nodded, not suspecting that he was actually lying to them.

He felt like a normal teenager for once.

Benny met him and swung him up into a tight embrace, almost lifting his feet off the ground. Ethan had to smile at that, and continued to grin up at Benny even when he let him down.

And he was proud of himself for only stiffening slightly when Benny leaned down to kiss him. When he pulled back, Ethan had to look away for a moment to get his bearings.

If they had always been like this, how could he have forgotten it so easily?

"Let's go get some answers."

…

Ethan wasn't sure how he knew where to go for lunch – he just _knew_.

And when they arrived at the small restaurant – "this is where we had our first real date," Benny whispered in his ear – the blonde man was waiting for them.

Except, this time he didn't look much older than they did.

"Ethan, Benny, come sit. I ordered drinks for you. They'll be here soon enough."

"I just want my answers. If I'm not home soon-"

"We'll get you home in plenty of time Ethan. Don't worry. You're safe here with me and Benny. Relax. You deserve it after what you've been through."

…

"_Your son is up to some surprising antics today."_

"_What do you mean? I was told he had a meeting today."_

"_Well then, he lied, didn't he? And you thought he was fixed."_

"_What is he doing?"_

"_Having lunch with two boys this time."_

"_Two? Who's the other one?"_

"_The blonde."_

"_NO! Can you tell what they are doing?"_

"_Talking. About what happened I presume."_

"_Then stop them. No matter what the cost."_

"_Even if it hurts the boy?"_

"_Yes. Maybe he'll learn this time."_

…

Ethan's head began to hurt a bit, making him rub his temple and scrunch up his eyes.

"Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. Tell me about… well, everything."

"Very well. You apparently had told your mother about your relationship with Benny here. Long story short, she "accidently" pushed you down the stairs. That was your accident."

"My mom… she wouldn't do that, would she?" Ethan asked, the headache getting worse, his vision blurring slightly.

"From what I've gathered, she did."

"Who are you? Why do you know so much about me?"

"Neither one of you remembers me, and that's fine. Just know, I have your best interests at heart."

Ethan stopped listening, the headache taking over everything. He closed his eyes briefly as the voice boomed in his head.

"_Ethan, look what you made me do. Such a shame really. I was only doing my job, just trying to help. But could you listen? No…"_

This voice was only slightly different than that of the man across from him – at least Ethan knew he might have been telling him the truth as his eyes rolled back in his head and he collapsed at the table.

"Ethan!"

…

_**Ethan was sitting with Benny in his backyard, the two of them stargazing while babysitting Ethan's little sister. She was pointing out all the constellations she had learned while they had sat there, holding hands. **_

_**After a while, she had fallen asleep under a pile of blankets they had brought with them. The two boys were still awake as they laid together, completely relaxed.**_

_**Ethan knew he could stay here forever.  
**_

…

"Mr. and Mrs. Morgan?" Ethan's parents stood up from their seats in the waiting room, their daughter wedged between them. "About your son…"

"Is he okay?"

"He's stable but… there's something you need to know."

"What is it?"

"There's some serious trauma to his brain. It's very similar to brain cancer. But there's no sign of any disease, or virus, or anything. He's in a coma."

"No! No he can't be. He's… going to be okay isn't he?"

"We'll know once he wakes up. You can go see him if you want. Maybe familiar voices will be enough to wake him up. We just have to wait."

"Jane, go with the doctor. We need to talk for a minute."

In harsh whispers, they began to argue.

"You just couldn't leave well enough alone, could you? He was doing okay!"

"I did what I thought you would have wanted!"

"What I wanted? I've lived with my mistakes! Why did you keep pushing?!"

"It was for the best!"

"Was it? Now… he might never wake up."

"He will. I will fix this."

"No! Not anymore. It's my turn. I deserve it to him after all that's happened. I will make this right. You go stay with your son."

"No-"

"No Stop speaking for one minute. You took this way overboard. What started out as one of us trying to help has exploded into a tragedy. I will save my son. You go talk to him now."

One parent walked away from the other, both with a destination in mind.

…

**So kinda vague if you guys caught that… if not, forget I said anything.**

**Thanks for reading and lets all hope Ethan's gonna be okay!**

**-JustMe133**


	10. Chapter 10

**HAHAHAHAHAHA.**

**You guys are gonna hate me.**

**Enjoy!**

**Updated: 5/31/3015**

…

_**Ethan had never felt so peaceful. He was outside, by himself, looking through a telescope at all the stars, just watching them twinkle and burn up in the large, dark sky. He didn't know there could be such a feeling of nothingness, something so wonderfully void of all anger, all pain…**_

_**This was the way to live, he was sure of it.**_

"_You just couldn't stop doing these things, could you? After everything we did for you, you just had to keep being irresponsible like this. I thought having - - - - take care of all of this would work, but obviously not. Do you know you're on life support now? If you had just listened to us in the beginning, none of this would have happened. Now, your brain is shutting down and you might not wake up. How stupid are you Ethan? Why couldn't you have just been normal?"_

_**Ethan knew that voice. Where was it coming from? He was alone, with nothing but the sky and the stars to surround him. Who was talking to him? How were they talking to him?**_

"_Stupid boy. Why can't you be like your sister? We tell her to do something, she does it. She listens, she obeys. She's the good child in this family obviously. What are we going to do with you?"_

_**Do with him? What were they talking about? What had he done? All he was doing was watching the stars… Were they getting closer? And was it getting darker? What was going on?**_

"_When - - - - finds out what I've been doing… When they come to their senses… Oh Ethan, you were my pride and joy. Why'd you have to be gay of all things? And Benny? There's some good men out there… Ethan, when you wake up…"_

_**Wake up? He was awake though. What were they talking about? **_

"_You were always so smart. And now, you're here. Even through all of my efforts to keep you rooted, to make sure you were happy, on the way to a happy life. Pulled strings at the bookstore so you could have a job, got you into a new school after the accident…"_

_**The accident… Ethan remembered the accident. He had told his mom about… something, right? And she had been so upset, and he fell… Yes, that had happened… But his mom hadn't always been like this, had she? She used to be so supportive, so understanding. What had happened to her? Something had happened… She had been… something. What was it? **_

"_After - - - - accident, I thought I finally had everything under control, but then you just had to start all of this up, didn't you?"_

_**Start what up? What did he do? He was just in stargazing, not doing anything. He was just a warm night, and he was in such a good mood, so at peace with everything… **_

_**He briefly wondered if this is what dying felt like.**_

"_I just wanted to take care of you Ethan. Keep my son just a little longer. Was that such a bad thing to do? I mean, sure I could've gone by it in a more… sensible fashion I suppose. But it all started with - - - - accident. They had been testing the implants then, and I had one placed in their brain. I didn't know exactly what it would do, but it would help they said. After that… I had full control. It was so… interesting. I could get them to do whatever I wanted. And when you got hurt, well, I guess that was partly my fault too. A glitch in the wiring or something. But then I knew I could fix you too."_

_**Fix him? What needed to be fixed? Wait… they had put something in him, hadn't they? Oh well, what did he care, he was feeling so light right now… He was sure he could just float off into the stars, just leave all of this behind.**_

"_But then you were glitching too, weren't you? So I had to take extreme measures… And look what happened. I do hope you don't die Ethan. Then I can really fix you up."_

…

Benny was worried – Ethan had passed out, and it looked like he wouldn't wake up any time soon. Benny couldn't even see him without Ethan's mom freaking out on him – he didn't even know what his dad thought on all of this.

If he even knew about any of this.

He was startled out of his thoughts when his grandma walked into the room.

"There's someone at the door for you. And stop pacing; you'll make a dent in my carpet." Benny moved to the front hall, where his 'guest' was waiting for him.

"What… what are you doing here?"

Mrs. Samantha Morgan – AKA Ethan's psychotic mom – was waiting for him.

"I want you to help me save my son before his father does something even stupider."

…

**So… if his **_**mom**_** is going to Benny…**

**Then that must mean…**

_**PLOT TWIST**_**.**

**BWHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA.**

**I'M SORRY, DON'T HATE ME TOO MUCH.**

**-JustMe133**


	11. Chapter 11

**Wooo new chapter time!**

**Enjoy.**

**Updated: 6/21/2015**

…

"You mean to tell me that _Mr. Morgan_ is the one who's been doing all of this, and not you?"

"Exactly." Benny just stared at the woman across from him, her blonde hair in a messy up-do, eyes red and tired-looking.

"And why should I believe you? You've done nothing-"

"This," she said, dropping a small object onto the table, face way too serious for Benny's liking. He looked at the small object, unsure what he was looking at until she pushed back her hair and turned her head so he could see her ear, or more importantly, the scar behind it, which was still a raw pink color. "I had one too."

…

_**Ethan wasn't sure what he was feeling right now, but he could imagine it was something like **__**fear**__**. **_

_**Too bad he didn't remember what fear felt like right now.**_

_**It was so dark; the stars had long faded, and then the grass, the wind, EVERYTHING**_**...**

_**It was just **__**gone**__**.**_

_**A never-ending darkness that just consumed him.**_

_**He could still hear noises – beeps, clinks, hisses of machines, of people…**_

_**Voices. There were multiple voices. He still couldn't place them though.**_

_**Although he was sure he knew them. Why would there be so many of them if he didn't know them?**_

…

"Nurse," Mr. Morgan said, glancing at the woman who hovered over his son. She glanced at him briefly before checking back on Ethan's prone form. "Ma'am."

"What?"

"Will he wake up soon?"

"There's no way to be sure," she said, turning from Ethan after smoothing his hair back from his face. "According to the doctor's findings," she said, looking at the chart at the end of the bed, "he's gone in a shock-induced coma. Too much… _electric-waves_ to the brain. I've never heard of such a thing…" she mumbled, but he just nodded.

"Of course. Thank you. You may leave now." She hmphed and turned, leaving him alone with the still form of his son.

…

"He did it to you too."

"Yes. Something's happened to my husband. I don't know what, but suddenly he just wanted the perfect family. He started with me by cutting the brake lines in my car. Nothing serious happened to me, but I was knocked out enough that I had to stay overnight in the hospital. So this happened," she said, indicating the small metallic piece on the tabletop. "And then... I didn't want to be mad at Ethan because of you. I want him happy. But I was being … compelled to make sure nothing happened. Pushing Ethan had been an accident on my part. I would _never_ harm my son. No matter what. I had hoped Ethan's cousin could help you two understand-"

"The blonde is Ethan's cousin?"

"Yes. My nephew Rory. You three were quite good friends for a while. You both seemed to have forgotten about that. You had the implant too, didn't you?"

"I had thought… I had _hoped_ it would help me with Ethan, but it didn't. And now… I might never see him again."

"I want to help fix this. No matter what it takes."

…

"**Your wife is with the boy."**

"**No! How could she do this to me?!"**

"**She's trying to stop you before something can happen to your son."**

"**Well then, I'll just have to make something happen before she can stop it, don't I?"**

"**What would you like me to do?"**

"**Wake him up."**

"**Yes sir."**

_**Wake him up? How were they going to do that?**_

…

Ethan's eyes snapped open as a loud, painful-sounded scream ripped through his body, making tears trail down his cheeks.

A loud electric _buzzing_ was twitching through his brain, along with a loud mumbling that hurt his ears.

"ANOAUOFANOCDJAIOCDUSFOEANCLADMNFOHFOIWEDNJOIK." Nothing but nonsense, but it was loud and rough, hurting him so much that he cried out again.

"Don't worry Ethan, it'll all be over soon," a voice said before he cried out again.

This time though, everything went dark after the raw sound left his throat.

…

Benny screamed, his head falling to the table as tears left leaked down his face.

"Benny?! What's happened?!"

"Eth…Ethan," he got out, massaging his head. "Too much power. Too much."

…

"He keeps mumbling about 'voices in his head'. Any idea what he could mean?"

"No sir. I just want what's best for my son."

"I would recommended moving him to a more… _"secure" _ward of the hospital. Somewhere with the type of doctors who can help him."

"Are you saying he's crazy?"

"It's a possibility. With as much electrical interference that has passed through this young man's brain… I'm surprised he's still alive to be honest."

"Very well. No visitors unless they're on the approved list still holds, right?"

"Yes sir."

"Fine. But don't remove the implant."

"Sir I highly suggest-"

"I don't care what you suggest-"

"HE MAY NEVER RECOVER-"

"He'll be fine. He's my son. He's always fine."

…

Ethan became fully conscious once he was into his new room. It was gray, with different shades of white scattered throughout, maybe in an attempt to lighten it up.

The dull buzz of voices could still be heard in the back of his mind, with a pop-crackle as if through bad radio interference.

Ethan slowly got out his bed to see he was dressed in gray sweatpants and a white shirt. He poked his head out of his room to see a girl drawing on the wall across from him.

"Um, excuse me… where am I?" She turned, long dark hair in a mess around her face, dark-gold eyes watching him in amusement. Her dark skin seemed flushed against the drab gray and white of her outfit, which almost matched his. A nametag on her shirt was smudged to only show an 'S' in the beginning of her name.

"Didn't they tell you anything Newbie? You're in the crazy ward! The nut house! Whatever you wanna call it, you're here! _Welcome home_!"

…

**At this rate I'll never finish this story ;)**

**See ya'll next time and thanks for reading!**

**-JustMe133**


	12. Chapter 12

**Sorry for the wait,  
But here's your update!**

**Updated: 7/19/2015**

…

Ethan just slowly backed into his room, closing his door on the girl, who just chuckled and moved down the hall, away from him.

There was a dull buzz in the room – no, it was in his head.

Why was his head buzzing?

And why was he in a psych ward?

He had so many questions, and no answers.

The last thing he remembered was … eating lunch with… somebody.

A guy? Two guys? Or had he imagined all of that?

Ethan couldn't place any faces – they were blurry, making his brain hurt with the buzzing that was going on inside his head.

Maybe he belonged here after all.

There was a gentle knock at the door before it was opened to reveal a severely beautiful blonde woman, her long hair pulled back and away from her face.

"Good to see you up and moving Ethan."

"Who are you?"

"Your private nurse," she said, grinning at him in a way that made him feel more like a small animal being hunted by its predator than by a patient and nurse.

"Why am I here?"

"This is a safe place Ethan, don't worry. The Doctor can keep a keen eye on you here."

"The Doctor?"

"You'll meet him soon enough. Get some rest Ethan. Morning visiting hours are almost over, then there's lunch, and then we take the patients to the gym for some recreation time. I'll be by your side _every _step of the way." She gave him a creepy grin – creepy to him at least – and closed the door, leaving Ethan alone with the buzzing in his brain.

…

Benny had never seen an adult man squirm before, but he figured this is what it looked like.

"What do you mean I can't see my son?!"

"I'm sorry ma'am, but you're not on the approved guest list."

"I'm his MOTHER! I gave birth to him. How can I not be _"approved"_?"

"W-well ma'am, his f-father gave us the approved l-list-"

"And didn't put me on it. I see. Well, I am his mother. This young man next to me will be my son-in-law one day. You let us see my son _right now_."

"Y-yes ma'am. I just need some I-I-ID."

"Of course."

Benny watched Mrs. Morgan work her magic, that stern voice could get anyone to do anything she said. After he handed her his ID, he watched as two nametags printed out of the machine.

Only now did Benny really believe she could be on their side.

With an uneasy feeling, Benny followed her and the nurse to the visiting area.

…

At least Ethan had some books to read. The words were blurring due to the buzzing in his head still – it was beginning to sound more like static, or the scraggly sound your TV makes when it's gone out – but it was still there. He threw the book down and looked around the room, bored.

"Mr. Morgan? You have some visitors here." This wasn't the same nurse before, but a jittery man who stuck his head into the room. "Are you okay with coming out to see them?"

"Them? Who's here?"

"Your mom and a friend I believe. Come on out Ethan." Ethan nodded and let himself be led to a small table, where his mom and a boy were.

"Mom!"

"Ethan! Are you okay?"

"I'm… I don't know. Wait. You're… you're the reason I'm in here."

"No I'm not Ethan. Your father-"

"He… he tried to take care of me, but you wouldn't listen. You… did something."

"Ethan she's telling the truth."

"And who the hell are you? I don't know you! Why are you here?!"

"You don't… remember me?"

"Ethan your dad did this to you. Not me. _He's_ the reason you're in here."

"He doesn't remember me…"

"Ethan, this is Benny. He's your best friend. And your boyfriend."

"Boyfriend?" Ethan scoffed, staring at his mom and the boy as if they were the ones who were crazy. "I think I would know if I was gay, let alone had a _boyfriend_. Ugh, mom, just… leave."

"Ethan. Please, just listen to me."

"Look at this," Benny said, slipping his wallet out to show a couple of photos to Ethan, who just stared blankly at them before he picked them up.

There were two, both of him and this boy – _Benny_ his mom had called him. They were from one of those photo booths you find at the mall, or in arcades. The first one was of the two of them, smiling for the camera with the other boys arm around his shoulders, their heads close together in cheesy grins.

Ethan didn't remember this, but the proof was in his hand.

The second one…

They were smiling still, but now their foreheads were pressed together and the look in Ethan's eyes…

He looked so happy.

They both did.

"H-how do I know these aren't fake?" he asked, voice shaky as he stared at the two photos still. He couldn't meet either of their eyes.

They were telling the truth – why would his mom lie to him? And why would this boy have photos of the two of them, so close, so… intimate?

"Why can't I remember?"

The buzzing was growing louder, making his head hurt. Before either his mom or the boy could help him, or even answer his questions, his nurse reappeared, looking angry.

"He needs his rest. You two need to leave. _Now_."

"No, my son needs me-"

"He's in perfectly capable hands now ma'am. If you do not leave I will have you escorted out."

Benny reached a hand out to Ethan, hesitantly setting his own on his arm.

"E, I'll be back tomorrow."

"_Ethan."_

He looked up at him, his dark eyes confused – where had that come from?

"Did you hear that?"

"_It's okay Ethan."_

"Hear what?"

"_It's okay."_

"…_Is that-"_

"YOU NEED TO LEAVE NOW!" Two security guards came, leading Mrs. Morgan and Benny out of the ward, leaving Ethan under the watchful glare of his nurse.

…

**Well, lots of possibilities to work with I suppose…**

**Unless I just end of a cliffhanger?**

**Nah, that's too mean, even for me… Right?**

**-JustMe133**


	13. Chapter 13

**Oooh this chapter… Let's see what ya'll think : )**

**Updated: 08/14/2015**

…

The nurse hadn't noticed, but Ethan had managed to slip the photos of him and the boy – _Benny, his name is Benny_ – right under her nose. He was currently residing in his room, looking at them as he thought back to what his mom had said.

If what she said had been true, then that meant his dad was the one behind all of this.

In some sick way, that made sense, didn't it?

He felt it, deep in his bones, that his mom would never hurt him.

So it had to have been his dad, hadn't it?

He didn't know anymore.

All he wanted to do was sleep. His eyes were so heavy now.

"_Sleep Ethan. It'll be time to wake up soon. And then, it'll all be over…"_

Before Ethan could really wonder what that was, he was out.

…

Ethan woke up to the sound of quiet knocking. He stumbled from his bed, the photos of him and Benny – _Benny_ – falling from his lap. He stumbled to the door, rubbing sleep from his eyes to open it, seeing the girl with the dark hair and dark-gold eyes smiling at him.

"Ethan, right?"

"What do you want?"

"You hear the voices too, don't you?"

"What do you mean?"

"You know what I mean."

"Who are you?"

"Why do you think you're here, Ethan?"

"_Who. Are. You?_"

"You know who I am, Ethan. And you know why I'm here. And why you're here. We're two of the same, don't you understand? You need to _understand_."

She turned then, shooting him a smirk from over her shoulder before she practically floated down the hall.

He blinked, but she was gone.

_Had he imagined it? Was she really here?_

_He must have been dreaming._

He closed the door and crawled back into his bed, falling asleep almost instantly.

It must have been a dream.

"_You hear the voices too, don't you?"_

"_You know who I am."_

"_You need to understand_."

"_Ethan_."

Tossing and turning, Ethan finally drifted off to sleep.

…

That was how he spent most of his days now. For at least a week – it might have been longer, Ethan wasn't really sure anymore – he kept repeating they cycle.

In the morning, they would have breakfast, and then would go to "exercise", which basically meant sitting around an empty gym and doing nothing on Ethan's part. Next, they would go to group, to which Ethan didn't find very helpful considering he didn't know what was wrong with him really. Then there would be "private" therapy sessions, but these weren't really private considering his nurse was by his side the whole time.

The only bright spot in the day were the visiting hours. His dad never came, but his mom and sister did.

And of course, there was the boy.

Ethan could see why he would have fallen for this guy; he was silly – he was always making Ethan laugh with his antics and jokes; he was sweet – he brought Ethan comic books and his favorite candy, which he had to sneak in; and matched Ethan's own intellect in a way that made Ethan not feel like the smartest one in the relationship – they could sit and talk about anything and nothing and Ethan didn't feel like he wanted to bolt for the door.

So what if Ethan didn't remember him right away? Benny seemed intent on wooing him all over again, and it was working. They were fast friends – "Granted, we were already the best of friends on the planet. We're awesome. Just to remind you." – and Ethan looked forward to seeing him and his family every chance he got.

The nurse, that creepy thing that identified as a woman, would stand in the farthest corner of the room, like a dark shadow creeping up on Ethan. As soon as visiting hours would end, she would slam her hand down on his shoulder and escort him back to his room, where she would – he thought – lock him in for the night.

But then, every night, after he fell asleep, there would be the quiet knock on the door and the girl would be there, waiting to talk to him.

He was about 95% sure he dreamt these sessions, because they always seemed hazy the next morning, but every night, they continued on.

She told him outlandish things though – of magic and monsters, vampires and werewolves. It sounded completely made up to him, like some type of corny TV show that would play on a family channel. It would probably get canceled though he thought. It couldn't be _that_ good.

"You should write a book," he told her one night as they were sitting on the floor – he still in his room, and her still in the hall, with just an open door space between them. She just shook her head at him, making the wild tangle of hair fly around her face.

"It's _real_ Ethan. Why would I want to write a book when I've experienced this all firsthand? And so have you. Why do you think we're here? They're trying to stop us. This is why we never see each other. If we did, we'd begin to remember. I already have. I need to help you so you can help me stop them."

"Who? What are you talking about?"

"_Them_. They put us in this different world-realm-place to keep us from stopping them. Because that's what we do. We stop the bad guys. Don't you remember yet? Haven't you learned my name at least?"

He had no idea what her name was. Yet, he felt like he did. He _should_ have known it, shouldn't he?

"Ethan please. Nothing here is real. Don't you understand that? _Nothing_."

"Nothing?"

"Nothing. This is all some illusion they put us in. I thought it was real too. But then they made the mistake of sending me here. Because I began to remember. And you have to too."

Ethan was still shaken up about the 'nothing is real' epiphany. That meant Benny wasn't real; were these feelings real? They felt pretty real to him. Before he could open his mouth to ask her though, to want to know more, the room began to shake and the lights flicker. It felt like an earthquake had just violently began.

"It's them. You were about to remember, weren't you?! ETHAN!" She screamed his name as she fell backwards, the door slamming shut between them.

"SARAH!" The name spilt from his lips as he tried to scramble from the door to make sure she was ok. He knew that was her name though, just like he knew he wasn't supposed to be here.

She had been right. As he realized this, the room's trembling grew worse; cracks began to appear in the floor, and there was a loud boom, like thunder.

He was flung back as the ceiling began to crumble down around him.

His vision went fuzzy, and then black, as something slammed onto his head, knocking him flat onto his back; he couldn't move and couldn't see, but he could still think for the moment being.

He could remember her face now – not the wild, crazy-eyed face he knew here, but her real one.

Sarah had tried to save him once again, hadn't she?

…

**Ooooh nooooo.**

**I swear at this rate this story will never be over.**

**And for that, I am sorry.**

**See ya'll next time.**

**-JustMe133**


	14. Chapter 14

**FINALLY!**

**Updated: 9/21/2015**

…

When Ethan woke up the next morning, the conversation, the earthquake, it had all been forgotten once again.

He didn't know anything about it, or about the life that he had supposedly been in before.

This was his life – trapped in a mental ward with no way out.

Or at least, so he thought.

…

"I'm getting out."

"Seems so," the nurse said, not seeming to blink as she stared at him. "Paperwork right here says you get out today. Family is waiting for you in the hallway."

"Who is it?"

"Do I look like a secretary?"

"Why did you become a nurse if you don't like people?"

"I don't like you Ethan. Not people. You. Remember that." She turned and walked away, her long blonde ponytail swinging behind her.

He was glad to be getting out of there.

Finally.

…

When he went to the front hall, it wasn't who he expected to be waiting for him – not his mom, not his dad, or even Benny.

It was his little sister Jane.

"What are you doing here?"

"Busting you out, duh."

"But… how?"

"How? Don't ask questions. It'll get you in trouble. Let's go."

"Wait, what? I'm so confused!"

…

Ethan was so confused. Everything seemed so completely out of whack and he had no idea what to do about it.

Jane walked him home – she was a _child_ after all, how did she get him out of a mental ward?

His mom and dad welcomed him home, both happy to see him.

Weren't they fighting, and wasn't his dad crazy? What was going on here?

He hid in his room, waiting for something, anything to make sense. Only when he got a call from Benny did it seem like maybe this madness would end.

"Dude, why didn't you tell me you were getting out?! We need to play video games motherfucker!"

"Wh-what?"

"I'm on my way over dickbag, see you in a few minutes. Don't nerd out without me!"

Benny hung up and Ethan didn't know what to think. Benny had never talked to him like that before, had he? Sure he had been eccentric and weird in their conversations, laughing at his own jokes, but never vulgar like he had been then.

Something was seriously wrong.

Maybe he was still crazy, and this was all a dream?

Yes, that seemed plausible.

But when he pinched himself, it hurt, and dreams didn't hurt, did they?

So was this all real? Was anything real?

Ethan didn't know anymore, and his head hurt.

His head was always hurting these days.

Ever since…

"The voice!"

He locked his bedroom door – glad to see that was one thing normal in this crazy world – and began to speak rapidly to himself.

"Voice? Come on I know you're there. You've been there since the beginning, where are you now?"

"OPEN UP ETHAN. LET'S HANG."

Benny sounded distorted, mean even.

Ethan was beginning to feel very afraid. Something bad was going to happen, he knew it.

"Come on voice, I need you. Now would be good!"

"ETHAN!" Multiple voices now, and his door was bending against their combined weight on it. They began to bang and he ran to his window, debating if falling from the second floor would be worth it if it meant he could escape from this madness.

"_Make the jump Ethan. It's the only way. You've gotta wake up."_

"Wake up? Who is that? What's going on!"

"_There's been quite a bit of brain activity lately. He may be okay after all."_

"What's going on! SOMEBODY HELP ME!"

"ETHAN. ETHAN. ETHAN. ETHAN." The voices were ragged now, riddled with anger and pain and they were after him.

He must have been crazy now.

"OH ETHAN!" A voice cried out as a hand slammed through his door. He looked through the jagged pieces and saw Benny, the same distorted Benny he had seen when they had first met – with a twisted face and dark eyes and drool was dripping down his face.

That wasn't Benny.

It couldn't be.

"Benny," he whispered, closing his eyes against the monster. He hadn't seen the distortion in so long, he had almost forgotten about it, but now that it was right in front of him, clawing its way through his bedroom door to get to him, he remembered it all too well.

"DON'T JUMP ETHAN. JOIN US."

"Join us. Join us. Join us. Join us." The voices in the hall cried out in chorus, and there were so many of them, way too many to just be his family.

Ethan closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

"ETHAN! ETHAN! ETHAN!"

He jumped.

…

….

…..

….

…..

…

…..

….

…..

…

….

…

His chest hurt, and his arms felt heavy.

He twitched.

"Ethan, wake up. Come on Ethan, wake up."

The voice. It was the voice, wasn't it?

Was he okay? Had he really jumped?

Had any of that been real?

And if not, then what was real?

Was he even real?

And why was the voice still talking to him?

"Ethan, they said if we keep talking to you, you'll finally wake up. Come on Ethan. We need you. I need you. We've been waiting so long..."

Who had been waiting? And why would anyone wait for him?

"Ethan? DOCTOR! ETHAN PLEASE! SOMEBODY HELP!"

BEEEEEEEEEP. BEEEEEEEEEEEEEP. BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP.

Who had been waiting?

…

**PLEASE DON'T HATE ME.**

**THIS MIGHT BE THE END.**

**WE'LL SEE I GUESS, WON'T WE?**

**-JustMe133**


	15. Chapter 15

**Okay, I almost ended it at the previous chapter, but I figured I needed to kind of wrap it up if I could. Hope ya'll enjoy it. (Yes, Ethan was going to _die_ but oh well things happen)  
**

**Ended: 11/8/2015**

…

_**~Two Months Later~**_

"So Ethan, tell me how you've been since the last I saw you."

Ethan just shrugged, the beginnings of a migraine coming on. He wanted to rub his temples, but he knew she would comment on it, so he just curled his hands up into fists.

"I'm fine."

"Ethan, this is our last visit for a while. Talk to me. That's what I'm here for."

"What do you want me to say? That I tried to kill myself by jumping out a window, _so I'm told_, only to survive in a coma for six months and to completely make a new life in my head, and… and I have no memory of…" he stopped there, his head bowed.

This was his life now. There was no Benny, no psych ward, and no weird controlling parents.

None of that was _real_.

He had imagined it all apparently.

"No memory of this life?" Ethan nodded, and he watched her write something down before she smiled at him. "Ethan, memory loss is common after a coma."

"Is it? Just because people say that doesn't make it true."

"Okay let's get off of that. Why don't we talk about Daniel."

_Daniel._

Daniel was Ethan's boyfriend apparently. He had spent every spare moment by Ethan's side in the hospital, had been talking to him and taking care of him…

The therapist thought Daniel must have been the voice Ethan had associated in his vision.

He didn't believe that.

He didn't believe _any of this crap._

"You two have been kind of rocky since you woke up. Have you talked to him about you having to leave soon?"

Ethan nodded, and she wrote something else down.

"Tell me about leaving."

"I've already told you. I graduated high school early, tried to kill myself, woke up and applied to college, and got in to a late admissions thanks to my _kickass grades_. And now I'm here. I go to college in a week, in a town far away from here, boarding in some persons house that I do not know, and I'm leaving everything and everyone behind because _this isn't my life_."

"What are you going to study in college?" She ignored his previous comment and he appreciated that. His family was paying good money for him to talk someone about this, so she had to listen and accept his views.

"I'm not sure yet. Just my basics right now."

"Okay. And you're going to break-up with Daniel before you leave?"

"Yes. Just because _this_ version of me cared about him doesn't mean I do."

"And do you know anything about these people you'll be boarding with?"

"A lady and her grandson I think. Could be her son. All I know is that he's going to the same college as me. I have a backroom right next to the backdoor so I can come and go as I please."

"That's good. So you don't have to bother anyone."

"I don't like bothering people. This is easy for me."

"Okay. You said it's a 20-minute drive to school from where you're staying?"

"Yeah, but it's affordable enough for me that I can drive. I've got a job on campus to help pay. Mom and dad are gonna send me some money until I get everything steady."

"That's good. And what's the name of the town you'll be staying in?"

"Uh, Whitechapel. That's the name. Whitechapel…"

…

Ethan was packing the final boxes into his car until he doubled over when a terrible burst of pain shot through his head.

He knew that pain.

But that wasn't real, so they told him.

Of course, he had no concept of reality anymore, so who knew.

The pain got worse before it faded, leaving him breathless as he struggled to stand back up.

Ignoring it, like it had never happened, he got into his car as his family came out to say goodbye.

He was leaving this life.

For good.

"Ethan?"

"Daniel," he sighed, getting out of his car. He stared at him, trying to see what he had apparently seen in him before – he was handsome, he supposed; angular face with sharp features, intense blue eyes framed by silver glasses; tousled light brown hair that hung just above his collar; a witty sense of humor that Ethan always found himself chuckling at.

He could see why this version of himself had cared for him.

But he wasn't that Ethan.

Not anymore.

"So, this is it."

"Yeah, it is. I'm sorry about this, but-"

"This is what you have to do. I know."

Ethan nodded and let himself be hugged by the slender teen before he let him go.

"This was never the place for you, not after the life you've led." Ethan's face twisted into confusion – Daniel's voice had changed a bit then, sounding much like the voice that had started all of this. There was a look in Daniel's eyes, one that Ethan hadn't seen in the past two weeks he had spent with him.

"What did you say?" Daniel pulled Ethan close so he could whisper in his ear.

"This isn't the life for you Ethan. _Not anymore_. Go to Whitechapel. _Go home_."

Ethan could only nod before he got into his car and left his family behind.

Daniel's words echoed in his mind though.

He was going home.

He could feel it.

…

As he pulled up outside of his new home, he couldn't help but look at the house next door. It stood empty and dark, a tall two-story house painted in reds and whites. It loomed above him and he shuddered, staring at it for a long time.

It was his house.

Or at least it had been.

It was the house he had lived in when he was in his coma.

Maybe he already subconsciously knew this when he had contacted the family about staying with them, because if that was the house…

This was the town…

And the house that he would be staying in…

He was ready to find out.

Getting out of his car, he took slow steps up to the house, a mixture of unease and excitement building up inside of him.

Before he could knock, the door was pulled open.

Ethan knew this person right away – the windswept brown eye, bright laughing green eyes, and a smirk that he would know anywhere.

"_Ethan…_ I mean, you must be Ethan, right?"

"Yeah… yeah I am. And you're… you're Ben, right?"

"Call me Benny," he said, extending a hand; Ethan shook it, and Benny just grinned at him. "Welcome home."

"_You finally made it back. Took you long enough."_

"…_**Voice?**_**"**

"_Told you you'd see me again sometime kid. Or should I say hear? Haha. I'm hilarious. Anyway. At least this time, you don't have to back away from him."_

…

**Well there ya'll go. This story got crazy out of hand but I think I wrapped it up pretty well.**

**I hope ya'll think so too.**

**Thanks for reading. All of your reviews have meant so much to me.**

**-JustMe133**


End file.
